


I Was Meant To Meet You

by brainsfrittata



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 17:18:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1991232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brainsfrittata/pseuds/brainsfrittata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He arrives at a point where he spends more time in the cemetery than at home or with his friends. Even at night, he sneaks in and in between naps spends his time talking to Yunho. They watch the sunrise and Changmin’s heart aches harder everytime the light warms his skin but not Yunho’s, everytime the sun sets and he can’t hold Yunho’s hand in his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Was Meant To Meet You

"Dude, no. That's just gross."

Changmin rolls his eyes at his best friend's comment. Not that he's surprised. He kind of wanted him to understand though.

"Get off my case Cho. It's my job, not yours."

"Yeah but... I mean, are you going to take your dates to that place?"

"Am I going to- Since when do people hang out at their workplace for a date?!"

He sighs loudly at Kyuhun's blank stare. He decides to blame the alcohol for his drinking buddy's total lack of logic.

"Maybe you're right…. But still, you could have worked with your dad, man. Who picks a cemetery over an office?"

"I did. I'd rather dig up graves with my bare hands than waste away in that shithole."

Finally, a hint of sympathy shows up in Kyuhyun's eyes. He brings his glass up to his mouth, but instead of drinking it he turns to Changmin, face lit up with newfound curiosity. Changmin knows it's going to be a long night.

-

The first month is backbreaking. Changmin works hard under the supervision of Mr. Lee, the soon-to-be-retired gravedigger that he's going to replace. The old man teaches him everything there is to know about the job, from grass mowing to how to set a grave mark, from plant pruning to how to operate a backhoe. The stillness and splendid isolation of the little cemetery entice Changmin and he comes to love his work, despite getting home exhausted every night and all the grim jokes he gets from Kyuhyun.

One afternoon, as he's wrapping up the preparations for an upcoming ceremony by getting all the dirt loaded into the truck, he almost runs over a man.

"Hey! Watch out!!"

His quick reflexes allow his foot to slam on the brake just in time, barely a couple of inches away from the man's motionless body. Clutching his heart, he takes a minute to regain his breath before hopping off the vehicle and approaching the stranger.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Are you okay?"

"I guess so."

Changmin notices the eerie look in his eyes as they wander around the cemetery.

"… You're here for the ceremony, right? It will start in about an hour and a half. You're a bit early."

The man remains silent. He looks at Changmin, then at the truck, then back at Changmin.

"Oh, right. I have to get back to work. If you'll excuse me…"

He jumps back on the truck and starts the engine, heading towards the exit. He thinks about the extent to which grief can destabilize people, but then again, he's used to such reactions and they don't faze him at all. The old man once told him that with his extremely reserved and collected personality, he was the perfect guy for the job.

Yet, as the figure grows smaller in the rearview mirror, a sense of melancholy grips him and he finds it difficult to shake it off.

-

After the ceremony is over and the last mourners have quietly walked away from the site, Changmin drives the truck back into the cemetery to unload the dirt and fill up the grave. He's surprised to see that the man is still standing right where he had left him, on one of the few empty lots three graves away from the fresh one he's supposed to take care of. He checks his watch and quickly calculates how long it's going to take him to unload the dirt and finish the job. Cautiously, he walks over to the mysterious man.

"Hey. Everything alright?"

"I… I think I am a ghost."

Changmin is slightly taken aback by the words, but doesn't miss a beat.

"Ah, don't worry. In times of mourning, some people get extra moody while others become just plainly apathetic, so it's-"

A high-pitched shriek echoes in the cemetery as the man extends his arm and puts it through Changmin's chest.

"WHAT THE FUCK??"

"See? That's what I meant."

Changmin is ready to jump out of his skin. He rubs his eyes harshly, hoping it's all just a really bad dream. But it's not.

-

After gulping down a couple of beers he has retrieved from his car -thank god he remembered to stop for groceries on his way to work earlier that afternoon- , Changmin tries to assess the situation.

He peeks at the particularly lively-looking ghost sitting on the empty lot. His rosy cheeks, well combed hair and overall appearance scream _human_. Changmin is not one to believe in the supernatural, yet there he is. That arm sure as hell went through his chest.

He shakes his head and climbs into the truck, eager to finish the job as soon as possible. It only takes him twenty minutes, but it's still too early to clock off. Hands on hips, undecided on what to do next, he ends up locking eyes with the man. Upon looking into those intense, brown pits that look way too alive to belong to a ghost, melancholy takes hold of him once again. He finally gives in and drags himself over to him.

"So… Do you have a story? I mean, on how you became a ghost and such."

He doesn't even care about making sense at this point. He wonders if others are able to see ghosts too. He might start a club.

"I don't remember much. I know my name, Yunho, and that I have these."

He rolls up his jeans and shows Changmin the tire marks on his lower legs.

"I guess you have been run over… That's probably how you died."

"I honestly can't remember."

"Well, Yunho, I am Changmin, the local gravedigger. You showed up in my cemetery, that's gotta mean something."

"Do you remember burying me?"

"Oh, I don't get names. Just coffin sizes and funeral times the day before a burial."

Yunho wraps his arms around his legs and rests his chin on his knees, looking pensive. Changmin's mind comes up with the idea of inviting him over to his apartment, only to realize that ghosts don't drink or eat or sleep.

"You want me to stay here a bit longer?"

 _You look lonely_ he wants to add, but refrains. Of course he does, he's a ghost.

"That's nice of you, but don't worry. I think I can manage."

"It's okay, really. I don't have much to do at home. In fact, I have nothing to do."

Yunho shoots a grateful smile at him. It might be the beer blurring Changmin's vision, but he looks like he's blushing too.

-

Changmin slowly grows fond of Yunho and his silent presence. He's there to greet him in the morning and he waves him goodbye in the evening. They soon discover that he's phisically bound in the cemetery, completely unable to leave. Changmin tries an internet search, looking for accidents and hit and runs involving young men, but it turns up next to nothing. Sometimes Yunho remembers the most trivial things about his life, like his love for strawberries and that time in third grade when he had tried to sneak out of his room in the middle of the night to see shooting stars. Other times he falls silent, his face a mask of pain as tears fall from his eyes. It's during these times that Changmin gets immensely frustrated. He feels useless and helpless, being unable to hug him, to soothe his grief. It's almost as if Yunho senses it, because he usually slides as close as he can without touching him, to avoid breaking the illusion.

Changmin oftens loses himself in analyzing the situation. At times he looks so absorbed in his thoughts that Yunho has to startle him back into reality.

"I was thinking… You must have unfinished business. That's why you linger around."

"Or maybe I was just meant to meet you."

Changmin blushes and never brings it up again.

He arrives at a point where he spends more time in the cemetery than at home or with his friends. Even at night, he sneaks in and in between naps spends his time talking to Yunho. They watch the sunrise and Changmin's heart aches harder everytime the light warms his skin but not Yunho's, everytime the sun sets and he can't hold Yunho's hand in his own.

One cold autumn Tuesday morning he gets to the cemetery a bit earlier than usual, mainly because of the monstrous amount of fallen leaves to rake away from the walkway. As he approaches the empty lot that had become Yunho's favourite place, his heart stops. It's empty. Panic surges in his gut. He looks around frantically and calls his name, but receives no answer.

-

A week passes, and it's a terrible week for Changmin. He calls in sick and spends the whole time in bed, pillow drenched in tears.

He gets a call from his mother on Saturday. His grandmother has been hospitalized after a fall at home. Sincerely worried but still kind of numb, he struggles up from the bed and gets dressed. The crisp air outside clears his head a bit. He drives to the hospital with all four windows rolled down, careless of the cold.

He climbs the stairs and thinks about his beloved grandmother. He wants to scold her for being so clumsy, _you're old and frail and I don't want to think about a world without you in it, not yet_.

As he walks by a room in the intensive care unit, shivers creep up his spine. He quickly brushes it off, thinking that it's a hospital, of course it gives you shivers.

-

Apart from a cracked rib and a few bruises here and there, Changmin's grandmother is all in all pretty well.  It had appeared much worse at first, but now that she's stable they might even send her home.

He excuses himself out for a quick cup of coffee, relieved by the news. Two nurses are chatting by the coffee machine and he can't help but listen.

"Did you hear about the young man in room 74? It's a miracle, I'm telling you."

"I did! It really is. Waking up after a coma… By the way, did they catch the hit and run driver yet?"

Changmin almost drops his paper cup.

-

He stands in front of room 74. Tears well up in his eyes, his mind screaming incoherent and fragmented words. As he's about to knock, the door opens to reveal a middle aged woman. She looks like she's been crying too.

"…Can I help you?"

He swallows hard, trying to come up with a plausible lie.

"I am… I am a college friend of…"

"By any chance, are you Changmin?"

Now he feels faint. _It's not possible. This is not real._ The woman looks at him with an indulgent smile.

"He's been telling me 'Mom, Changmin is coming.' He's dreamed about you."

She lets him in on her way out and closes the door behind her. He approaches the bed by gathering all his strenght and then some.

Slowly, Yunho turns his head to face him. Changmin takes his hand and kisses it, inhaling deeply in bliss.

"Hey."

"Hey there."

"… I told you I was meant to meet you."


End file.
